The day in age where everyone is connected, ideas and emotions are transmitted quickly from one to another, and are branched of to more and more people. Are these ideas truly a look into one's own personal narrative though? Could it all be a front in order to show others, or even oneself, that they are truly happy or content? What a cynical way to look at things you may think, but my hopes are that these fronts that we put up for people to see will eventually deteriorate, and that social media feeds will fill with more than just posed pictures and cryptic comments. This is the same idea Barbara Erenreich has in her essay Bright Sided, how there is indeed an issue with the plastic positive barrier many Americans put themselves under, and that it undermines America. Don't get me wrong, I love my social media, but the communication is so washed over and shallow that the efficiency we all gather information from others is a bit redundant. Are what we see on Facebook and Twitter good representations of our societies happiness? God, I hope not. What we see there should be hoisted up and chucked out a window. No more mutual and mundane expressions of dull and drudging dialogue. Let's talk about real stuff, and let the real satisfaction sink in!

Enough about you, me, everyone. Brian Williams makes a beeline to the many issues that have risen from our celebratory culture in his brief essay "Enough about you". Williams brings to attention our everyone-wins mentality, and the shortcomings that come with it. Williams states, "Today everyone gets celebrated, in a part to put an end to the common cruelties of life that so many of us grew up with." I believe that statement is quite accurate, and upon first glance it sounds like a step up in our society. Upon second glance, you may also notice a slight jump of entitlement in our general culture. Or at least I have. In a time where you get a trophy for participation, one has to wonder where the drive to succeed comes from. I for one am motivated not by the desire to succeed, but from the very possible outcome that I may not succeed. In the real world you have to compete, and you won't be rewarded just for participating. So why on earth do people bestow this false reality to the younger generation? Yes, it may hold instant gratification, but it also gets them used to the idea that simply participating will make you a winner. This sense of entitlement can really stifle ones personal growth. Is this kind of treatment really worth it over the "cruelties of life"? I don't believe so. I think the biggest winners know very well what it means to lose. It's those losing moments that shapes us. We all start out as a blank slab of clay, but the cruel jabs and scrapes in life really mold us into a nice sculpture. Maybe not a winning sculpture, but it's better than some entitled blob of clay. Do you want to be an entitled blob of clay? I don't, and you shouldn't either you punk.

Solomon's American Paradox

The American dream, according to Jack Solomon's essay "Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising"  has a paradox lying in between the two sides of our cultures most common desires. One one side, we all yearn for camaraderie and general acceptance. There is indeed something comforting about a general acceptance for who we are individually. On the other hand, that individuality aspires to be something bigger. We all have had that desire to stand above the crowd and be admired by all. The paradox here, is that if we were to be more outstanding than everyone else, then there would be no like-minded equals to go to at the end of the day. It seems as though in our culture, we are conditioned to chase after the next big thing. We're surrounded by fast paced media and entertainment. I have a feeling that this plays into our personal lives, and ultimately our goals. It's unfortunate to say that when we dream of success and glory, it's comparable of moving on to a more interesting and exciting trend. In that moment we forget about the importance of camaraderie, and instead we entertain a more exciting an fulfilling idea of being a higher persona. This may not be true for everyone, but it is a known mentality that does indeed say something about our culture. It's up to us to choose where our priorities lie, whether it's shooting for the stars, being down to Earth, or a happy medium. No matter who you are though, you must remember that at the end of the game the King and the Pawn end up in the same box.